Theme 3: Lecture 12 - Heart failure Flashcards
Definition of heart failure
A state that develops when the heart fails to maintain an adequate cardiac output to meet the demands of the body
What is heart failure a result of
Results from any structural or functional abnormality that impairs the ability of the ventricle to eject blood (systolic HF) or fill with blood (diastolic HF)
What affects stoke volume
- contractility
- preload
- afterload
In general, what does an increased heart rate result in
increased cardiac output
What does an excessively high heart rate result in
decrease in the amount of time allowed for the ventricles to fill in diastole which causes stroke volume and, thus cardiac output to fall
What is the typical cardiac output at rest
70mls/kg/min
What is contractility
the intrinsic ability of the myocardium to contract
What is preload
the volume of blood or stretching of cardiomyocytes at the end of diastole prior to the next contraction
What is afterload
- the resistance/end load against which the ventricle contracts to eject blood
- It is the pressure in the aorta/pulmonary artery that the left/right ventricular muscle must overcome to eject blood
What affects preload
- Is affected by venous blood pressure and the rate of venous return to the heart
- This, in turn, is affected by venous tone and volume of circulating blood
What causes an increase in preload
Preload increases with increasing blood volume and vasoconstriction
What causes a decrease in preload
Preload decreases with blood volume loss and vasodilatation
Describe the Frank Starling law
- An increase in volume of blood filling the heart stretches the heart muscle fibres causing greater contractile forces which, in turn, increases the stroke volume
- Is true only up to a certain point… at some stage the fibres become over-stretched and the force of contraction is reduced
What causes an increase in afterload
- The greater the aortic/pulmonary pressure, the greater the afterload on the left/right ventricle respectively
- Afterload increase with hypertension and vasoconstriction
How does afterload affect cardiac output
As afterload increases, cardiac output decreases
Low output heart failure
- Systolic heart failure
- Diastolic heart failure
High output heart failure
- Occurs in the context of other medical conditions which increase demands on cardiac output, causing a clinical picture of HF
- The heart itself is functioning normally but cannot keep up with the unusually high demand for blood to one or more organs in the body
Which medical conditions cause high output heart failure (6)
- thyrotoxicosis
- profound anaemia
- pregnancy
- pagets disease
- acromegaly
- sepsis
What is thyrotoxicosis
overactive thyroid gland
What is Paget’s disease
Paget’s disease of bone is a chronic disease of the skeleton. In healthy bone, a process called remodeling removes old pieces of bone and replaces them with new, fresh bone. Paget’s disease causes this process to shift out of balance, resulting in new bone that is abnormally shaped, weak, and brittle.
What is acromegaly
Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose
What is systolic heart failure
Progressive deterioration myocardial contractile function
What causes systolic heart failure
- Ischaemic injury
- Volume overload
- Pressure overload
What is diastolic heart failure
Inability of the heart chamber to relax, expand and fill sufficiently during diastole to accommodate an adequate blood volume
What causes diastolic heart failure
- Significant left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) e.g HCM
- Infiltrative disorders
- Constrictive pericarditis
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
What are the causes of heart failure
- Coronary Heart Disease
- Hypertensive Heart Disease
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Myocardial Disease/ Cardiomyopathies
- Congenital Heart Disease
Definition of cardiomyopathies
Diffuse disease of the heart muscle leading to functional impairment
What are the classes of cardiomyopathies
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Causes of dilated cardiomyopathy
- various causes, 50% familial
- ETOH
- pregnancy
- systemic disease (SLE)
- muscular dystrophies
- Drug toxicity
- Myocarditis
What is myocarditis
Inflammation of the myocardium (heart muscle)
What are muscular dystrophies
Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited diseases that damage and weaken your muscles over time.
Causes of hypertrophic cardiac myopathy
hereditary
Causes of restrictive cardiomyopathy
rare-amyloid the main cause in the UK
What is amyloid
A glycoprotein that is deposited in internal organs in amyloidosis